How customer voice
drives business

Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services and Matillion are both software designed to help organizations extract and transform business data.  Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services is an integration platform as a service built to help businesses synchronize cloud and on-premise applications.  Matillion is a data integration tool designed to help businesses quickly pool together data from multiple sources such as SaaS applications. Matillion is most popular with mid-sized businesses, while Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services is most popular with large enterprises, perhaps due to its robust development tools. Features Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services and Matillion both allow businesses to transform and extract data, but they also have a few standout features that set them apart from each other. Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services provides built in support for over 80 SaaS applications, making it a strong choice for businesses with a variety of applications to pull in data from.  Additionally, Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services provide support for a wide variety of regulatory compliance standards including HIPAA, Privacy Shield, and SOC 3.  Lastly, Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services allows for data sharing over the cloud so users can easily obtain and provide business data to other users. Matillion provides robust compliance support specifically for GDPR compliance, making […]

Salesforce is primarily a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform with robust sales forecasting and automation features. SharpSpring is an agency-friendly marketing automation solution that has a built-in CRM. However, SharpSpring also integrates with other third-party CRM software like Salesforce, Zoho CRM, and Pipedrive.   Features  Both products include CRM capabilities, though SharpSpring focuses more on marketing automation features while Salesforce is a best-of-breed CRM.  Salesforce includes standard CRM features like contact and opportunity management, lead scoring and qualification, reporting and analytics, email integration, and sales forecasting. It also has advanced workflow automation and customization capabilities. These features can be found within the Salesforce Sales Cloud.  SharpSpring offers core marketing automation capabilities such as email marketing and campaign management, landing page creation, lead management, lead scoring, and reporting and analytics. It also includes features crucial for marketing agencies, such as a month-to-month contract (instead of annual), a dedicated agency support manager, and a re-brandable platform, single-sign-on (SSO).  Limitations  The main limitations of each of these products are tied to their primary use cases.  Salesforce’s Sales CRM functions as a customer relationship management system, and is not the best solution for businesses looking for an email marketing or marketing automation platform. However, […]

Visier and SAP Workforce Analytics, a part of the SuccessFactors product line, are both workforce analytics tools. They are both primarily used by enterprises. They are primarily distinguished by their status as a point solution vs. a product within a quite.  SAP Workforce Analytics is designed to complement SAP SuccessFactors’s HR management suite of offerings. As such, it emerged out of an HR background and adopted more advanced analytics capabilities. In contrast, Visier is a point analytics solution. It was created from what was originally a Business Intelligence foundation and structured to be easy for HR professionals to use. Features SAP Workforce Analytics and Visier both have strong features tailored for their audiences.  SAP Workforce Analytics excels as an analytics tool for enterprises that live in the broader SAP ecosystem. It naturally integrates with the rest of the SuccessFactors platform, which is key for enterprises looking to centralize their HR systems into a single vendor. It also has a range of out-of-the-box features and HR metrics.  In contrast, Visier stands out as a standalone workforce analytics platform. Given its origins in BI infrastructure, it serves as an excellent database for structuring and preparing HR data. Reviewers also highlight that Visier […]

BlueJeans and Zoom are both web and video conferencing platforms. They each provide a range of video communications, VoIP, and collaboration capabilities.  While both products are used across company sizes, BlueJeans is more common among enterprises. In contrast, Zoom is a reliable option regardless of company size when collaboration is a key facet of users’ web conferencing.  Features BlueJeans and Zoom both offer a range of web conferencing capabilities for organizations.  BlueJeans stands out as a scalable web conferencing option, especially for enterprises. It facilitates a range of methods for high volumes of meeting participants to join a meeting across locations. It also provides a quality participant experience with one-touch joining for meetings. BlueJeans also allows for browser-based meeting sessions in addition to app-based meetings.  Zoom is highlighted for its robust collaboration features and competitive packages for midsize companies. Zoom allows meeting participants to annotate screens, including shared screens, which facilitates better in-meeting collaboration and productivity. Zoom also gives companies higher participant caps at lower price points than BlueJeans.  Limitations There are also some limitations or drawbacks to BlueJeans and Zoom.  BlueJeans’s administrator and meetings creation process is not as user friendly as its participant experience. The admin interface is […]

Whereby and Zoom are both web conferencing tools. They also offer some collaboration capabilities, although Zoom provides a much broader range of collaboration and communication features.  Zoom is the web conferencing giant used across company sizes. It offers a range of capabilities to serve many different use cases, including VoIP and collaboration. In contrast, Whereby is an SMB-focused video conferencing tool that specializes as a web-based platform. It’s designed to be as simple and easy to use as possible, in order to be highly accessible to smaller-scale teams and companies.  Features Whereby and Zoom both offer feature sets that differentiate their ideal uses for companies.  Whereby specializes as an accessible platform for SMBs and small team use. The interface and mechanics of joining a meeting are relatively streamlined. Users simply create and share a web link that other participants can then use to join. This “one-click access” to meeting rooms, as well as the ability to join without downloading an app, are strong differentiators to Whereby reviewers.  Zoom, rather than overly specializing, provides features and services for a very broad range of organizations and businesses. In addition to a strong video conferencing service, Zoom also allows users to “dial-in” on […]

Planful, formerly Host Analytics, and Workday Adaptive Planning are both Corporate Performance Management software with strong focuses on budgeting and financial management. While the products historically catered to slightly different markets, they have become more directly comparable in recent years.  Planful serves midsize companies and enterprises, and is designed with scalability across that size range in mind. Historically, Adaptive Planning, formerly Adaptive Insights, catered more to growing midsize companies that had outscaled Excel-based financial processes. However, with Workday’s acquisition of the platform, Adaptive Planning has been expanding into the enterprise market more heavily as well.  Features Planful and Workday Adaptive Insights both offer robust CPM features for scaling organizations.  Planful stands out for its easy deployment and prebuilt capabilities. Reviewers highlight the platform’s out-of-the-box feature set that does not rely on heavy customization. Planful also adjusts well to mid-flight dynamic budgeting. This capability gives large organizations and enterprises more financial maneuverability.  Workday excels in its relative user-friendliness, especially among professionals that are not used to working in CPM tools. For instance, reviewers frequently highlight Adaptive Planning’s Office Connect capability, which allows users more versed in Excel-based corporate performance management to more easily transition to the Workday platform. The user interface […]

Hyperion EPM and Workday Adaptive Planning are both Corporate Performance Management products. Hyperion is a legacy CPM product from Oracle, while Adaptive Planning is a newer offering that Workday has acquired and integrated with its HCM offering.  Hyperion EPM is a longstanding on-premise performance management system designed for large enterprises. Oracle has also released newer EPM Cloud products, but continues to support Hyperion. Workday acquired Adaptive Insights, now rebranded to Adaptive Planning, to complement its staple HCM product. Adaptive Planning is a cloud-based platform that is most commonly used by midsized companies.  Features Both Hyperion EPM and Workday Adaptive Planning have strong advantages for specific user bases.  Hyperion is an excellent option for enterprises that already live primarily in the Oracle ecosystem. It integrates smoothly with other Oracle products, such as HR management and ERP tools. Reviewers also highlight Hyperion’s use of the Essbase data management system and its powerful analytics engine for financial modeling at scale.  Workday stands out as the preferred option among midsize and large companies. In particular, its well positioned for companies that are scaling out of their Excel-based financial planning and reporting. For example, the Office Connect feature provides users with a familiar functionality to […]

Anaplan and Workday Adaptive Planning are both Corporate Performance Management products focused on budgeting and financial planning. However, they are most commonly used in different market segments, and are ideal at different points in businesses’ growth and development.  Adaptive Planning, recently acquired by Workday, is most commonly used by midsize companies. The CPM tool integrates natively with the Workday HCM platform and is designed to help data flow smoothly from HR to finance and accounting processes in a unified system. Anaplan is more enterprise-focused, with a heavier focus on traditional CPM capabilities like financial process management and reporting.  Features Anaplan and Workday Adaptive Planning both provide advantages for their users.  Anaplan’s capabilities are scaled to enhance enterprises’ financial performance management. Reviewers highlight the platform’s flexibility and adaptability to business process and data structure changes. This customization is designed to help enterprises be more flexible and better absorb business changes. Anaplan also allows for a large number of different users on the platform for excellent collaboration support. Workday stands out for its support for midsize and growing companies, particularly those who have outgrown their Excel-based financial processes. Its Office Connect feature creates a familiar and accessible experience for professionals used to […]

MIP Fund Accounting is a nonprofit-specific accounting platform, while SAP ERP is an Enterprise Resource Planning platform. While there may be some overlap in organizations that could benefit from both products, they serve fundamentally different core needs.  MIP is tailored to the specific accounting needs of midsize nonprofits, notably funding source tracking and management. In contrast, SAP ERP is focused on financial centralization among very large businesses and enterprises. This centralization can be business-transforming, integrating software from HR to supply chain management.   Features MIP Fund Accounting and SAP ERP both provide features tailored to their ideal user bases.  MIP stands out for its fund management capabilities. Specifically, it excels at tracking funding sources, including grant management processes. Beyond fund management, it is the preferred option for core accounting within nonprofit organizations. Notably, MIP’s customer support is recognized as instrumental for facilitating users and assisting with troubleshooting.  SAP is the preferred option among for-profit organizations that can benefit from unifying their financial systems. Users frequently point out SAP’s ability to integrate virtually all financial tasks and processes onto the ERP hub. It facilitates the unification of functions like HR and supply chain management to make at-scale financial management much easier.  Limitations […]

Financial Edge NXT and MIP Fund Accounting are both nonprofit-focused accounting solutions. Within the nonprofit market, Financial Edge NXT emphasizes its capabilities for higher education institutions, while MIP Fund Accounting is more focused on government agencies.  Financial Edge is a web-based accounting software designed to pair with other NXT products to unify nonprofits’ financial processes into one ecosystem. The platform is also more tailored to higher education institutions, which aligns with Blackbaud’s other product lines that focus on higher education. In contrast, MIP is offered on-premise or as a cloud-based product, and the platform is more scalable for midsized organizations. It also provides more emphasis on government agencies’ unique accounting and reporting needs.  Features Financial Edge NXT and MIP Fund Accounting both provide robust accounting features for nonprofits.  Financial Edge is positioned as the next step up in scale from QuickBooks for nonprofits. As such, the software is relatively accessible for users who aren’t already accounting specialists, which can be impactful for smaller organizations. It also advertises some ERP-esque capabilities, such as cash flow forecasting and data quality management. These extended features enable users to unify all financial processes into one vendor’s ecosystem.  MIP Fund Accounting stands out for its […]

PandaDoc and Adobe Sign are both tools competing in the eSignature software space. PandaDoc’s key feature is eSignature. However, it also supports contract and proposal management. PandaDoc also has a related tool Quote Roller, focused on sales proposal automation. Adobe Sign, as its name suggests, is primarily focused on eSignature as well. While an increasing number of eSignature products feature advanced functions such as in-app document creation, tracking, and real-time collaboration, a simple eSignature tool is an attractive choice for administrators who need a large number of signatures for a small selection of documents. Adobe Sign reviewers are primarily working in mid-sized companies and in the Computer Software space. PandaDoc reviewers are primarily small businesses, but have their largest representation industry-wise from Computer Software companies as well. Features A key selling point of Adobe Sign is its integration with Adobe Acrobat, which is a commonly used tool for designing and arranging online documents. This allows administrators to seemingly create and alter documents on the fly without inefficient and error-prone editing processes. PandaDoc really speaks to its utility as a sales support tool. The value proposition from PandaDoc is that using its features can help sales teams “crush their quota from […]

MIP Fund Accounting and Sage Intacct are both accounting software that have strong reporting capabilities and extended accounting capabilities like payroll. They also each have features designed for nonprofit organizations. However, MIP Fund Accounting specializes in nonprofits and government agencies, while Sage Intacct is more broadly applicable, with additional light ERP capabilities.  Sage Intacct is more commonly used by larger businesses or businesses experiencing rapid growth, as well as companies that benefit from ERP functions like inventory management native to their accounting system. In contrast, MIP Fund Accounting is more commonly used by small to midsize nonprofits, as well as higher education institutions or government agencies.  Features MIP Fund Accounting and Sage Intacct both have strong feature sets tailored to their target audiences. MIP’s focus on nonprofits best serves those organizations with unique nonprofit accounting needs. For instance, MIP’s grant and fund tracking mechanism is among the best available and is the leading competitive advantage for the platform over more general accounting systems. MIP Fund Accounting’s customer support is also held in high regard by many reviewers. For nonprofits who may not have access to robust accounting departments, this level of customer support can be particularly impactful.  Sage Intacct excels […]

PandaDoc and Proposify are both tools competing in the proposal software space. PandaDoc’s key feature is eSignature. However, it also supports contract and proposal management. PandaDoc also has a related tool Quote Roller, focused on sales proposal automation. Proposify, as its name suggests, is primarily focused on proposal management and secondarily functions as a sales content management solution. Proposify reviewers are primarily working at small businesses and in the marketing and advertising spaces. PandaDoc reviewers are also primarily small businesses but have their largest representation industry-wise from Computer Software companies. Features With its focus being on proposals, Proposal’s key feature sets are broken out by use cases: sales, marketing, and operations. Proposify is designed to help these teams create, send, track, and signature proposals, contracts, and agreements with an emphasis on “winning” and “closing”. Another selling point for Proposify is its great number of pre-built integrations with popular apps like Salesforce and Hubspot which can help proposal managers streamline client information between tools. PandaDoc speaks to its utility as a sales support tool. The value proposition from PandaDoc is that using its features can help sales teams “crush their quota from propose to close”. PandaDoc seeks to accomplish this goal […]

DocuSign is the flagship product of the DocuSign Agreement Cloud, a platform consisting of software focused on “agreement processes”. DocuSign’s key feature is eSignature and document generation. Similar to DocuSign, PandaDoc’s key feature is eSignature. However, it also supports contract and proposal management. PandaDoc also has a related tool Quote Roller, focused on sales proposal automation. DocuSign reviewers are primarily from mid-sized companies and part of the Computer Software industry. PandaDoc reviewers on the other hand are primarily small businesses, but also have their largest representation from Computer Software companies. Features DocuSign’s biggest selling point is helping controllers create documents that can be signed online, cutting out the hassle of dealing with printed materials, and using postal mail. DocuSign also supports managing document workflows, creating documents through integrated apps like Salesforce, version controls, and analytics of contracts and agreements. PandaDoc speaks to its utility as a sales support tool. The value proposition from PandaDoc is that using its features can help sales teams “crush their quota from propose to close”. PandaDoc seeks to accomplish this goal by providing insights into document workflows, changes, and analytics to streamline, automate, and improve upon online document management and eSignature user experiences. Limitations While […]

Zoom and GlobalMeet Collaboration are two popular web and video conferencing products. As with Skype in years previous, “Zoom” has become almost ubiquitous with online meetings and web conferencing. While most popular for its web conferencing product, Zoom is is a Unified-Communications-as-a-Service platform that supports webinars and VoIP as well. GlobalMeet Collaboration is also the online meetings product for PGi’s suite of online communications software with similar offerings to Zoom. On TrustRadius, Zoom’s user base is spread nearly evenly across small businesses, mid-sized companies, and enterprises with 31% and 36% being from enterprise or mid-sized companies respectively. GlobalMeet Collaboration is most popular with enterprises, but is most commonly represented by professionals in Hospital & Health Care. GlobalMeet Collaboration is popular in this industry given its reputation for being a secure choice. Features Zoom is a video communications platform specializing in web conferencing, webinars, and cloud-based telephony. Zoom also specializes in conference room management and equipment. It is a great choice for organizations of all sizes looking for flexibility in how they conduct online meetings, webinars, and conference calls. Zoom is also a great fit for organizations looking to consolidate their web conferencing tool with their VoIP and/or team chat software. […]

GoToMeeting and GlobalMeet Collaboration are two popular web and video conferencing products. GoToMeeting is the online meetings focused component of the LogMeIn online communications platform. GlobalMeet Collaboration is also the online meetings product for PGi’s suite of online communications software. On TrustRadius, most GoToMeeting reviewers are from mid-sized companies and working in the Computer Software industry. GlobalMeet Collaboration is most popular with enterprises, but is most commonly represented by professionals in Hospital & Health Care. GlobalMeet Collaboration is popular in this industry given its reputation for being a secure choice. Features GoToMeeting is the online meeting, desktop sharing, and video conferencing software solution from LogMeIn. Its notable features are its slide capture (video-to-presentation) capabilities which support content creation, management of multiple meeting URLs, and dedication toproviding encrypted online meetings and SSO login support. As previously mentioned, GlobalMeet Collaboration’s biggest selling point is its security features. The vendor promises to be secure and reliable and stay on top of ever-evolving data security policies and regulations. Due to issues like “Zoom-bombing”, security is a bigger-than-ever topic in online meetings software. Outside of online events security, GlobalMeet Collaboration also receives kudos for having an intuitive and easy-to-use interface and in-touch customer support team. […]

Webex Meetings and GlobalMeet Collaboration are two popular web and video conferencing products. Webex Meetings is the online meetings focused component of the Cisco Collaboration family of tools. GlobalMeet Collaboration is also the online meetings product or PGi’s suite of online communications software. On TrustRadius, most Webex Meetings reviewers are from enterprises and working in the IT services industry. GlobalMeet Collaboration is also most popular with enterprises, but is most commonly represented by professionals in Hospital & Health Care.  GlobalMeet Collaboration is popular in this industry given its reputation for being a secure choice. Features Webex Meetings is a video conferencing and online meetings solution. It is a part of the Cisco Webex family of tools alongside Webex Teams, Webex Events, Webex Training, Webex Support, and Webex Calling. Webex Meetings also pairs with the Webex Devices line of video conferencing and collaboration hardware. It is one of the most popular tools on the market, and well-known as a solution for global collaboration. Webex Meetings would be a good fit for enterprises that host a large number of online meetings with external participants. It is also a great choice if users are already familiar with other Cisco family tools. As previously […]

SketchUp and DraftSight are both popular Computer Aided Design (CAD) programs on SketchUP has over 100 ratings and 35 reviews whereas DraftSight has over 300 ratings and 100 reviews. Compared to most SaaS platforms, CAD software has been around for several decades. And while CAD software is most commonly used for engineering and architectural purposes, it has a growing variety of applications. Like DraftSight, SketchUp is also a CAD-first program, unlike a few other products in the category that function as secondary simulation software or visualization tools. On TrustRadius, most SketchUp users are from smaller businesses or architecture firms. While DraftSight also primarily serves small businesses on TrustRadius, more of its reviewers are from engineering companies. Features SketchUp’s feature set can differ depending on which version you choose: SketchUp Free, SketchUp Shop, Sketchup Pro, SketUp Studio, SketchUp for Web, Enterprise, and SketchUp Studio for Education. There are even more industry and use-case specific versions available as well. SketchUp’s major selling point seems to be customization to users’ needs. For B2B software purposes, Sketchup Pro, SketchUp Studio, and Enterprise seem to provide the most business-ready offering.  They all focus on 3D modeling and exporting projects in HD for facilitating easy collaboration. […]

SOLIDWORKS and DraftSight are both extremely popular Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs. They both lead the category in ratings and reviews, both having over 140 each. Compared to most SaaS platforms, CAD software has been around for several decades. And while CAD software is most commonly used for engineering and architectural purposes, it has a growing variety of applications. In addition to being a CAD tool, SOLIDWORKS, also functions as simulation software. Simulation software can be used to evaluate, optimize, and compare product designs meant for real-world applications in a computer-generated environment. On TrustRadius, most of its users are from mid-sized construction companies. This is in contrast to DraftSight which represents mostly small businesses and/or engineering firms. Features SOLIDWORKS comes from Dassault Systemes, a French software company that specializes in design and Product Lifecycle Management software. SOLIDWORKS features several sub-products that cover a wide variety of specialties and capabilities. Whereas Draftsight focuses more on CAD specifically, SOLIDWORKS, as previously mentioned, supports simulation, product configurator, product data management, and technical communication. Its design capabilities support 2D and 3D design, CAM, electrical design, and visualization, with collaboration tools for team projects.  Draftsight has 5 different tiers of pricing: Standard, Professional, Premium, Enterprise Plus. […]

KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training and Proofpoint Security Awareness are both security awareness training software designed to train and test users on defending against social engineering attacks such as phishing. Both software options are most popular with larger enterprises, likely because as staff sizes increase, it becomes more difficult to train staff without a dedicated tool.   Features KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training and Proofpoint Security Awareness both provide essential security awareness features, but they also have some unique features that set them apart from each other. KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training provides over 2,000 phishing templates, allowing businesses to safely test their staff’s vulnerability to social engineering attacks and report on the results. Social Engineering tests can also be automated using KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training’s artificial intelligence tools, which can push social engineering tests out through email, text, or voicemail. Proofpoint Security Awareness provides detailed and customizable reporting tools that can be run after each phishing simulation campaign.  Businesses can use Proofpoint Security Awareness reporting features to see where there are vulnerabilities in their organization.  Proofpoint Security Awareness also provides a simple to use interface for creating phishing simulations and generating reports. Limitations KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training and Proofpoint Security Awareness both help […]